Just Like Their Parents
by AniMeri
Summary: Sam and Ellimere become more like their parents than they ever wanted to be.
1. Chapter 1

**Just Like Their Parents...**

First fanfic. Please review :).

**Chapter 1**

"Come on!"

"Why don't you?"

"Well it was your idea!"

Prince Sameth and Princess Ellimere peered around the door of their parents rooms. They were, as expected, deserted. The pair crept inside.

"Now can we hurry up? We're not supposed to be in here," Ellimere snapped at her brother, "Why do you need this... whatever it was anyway?"

"Wallmaker stuff," Sam hissed back, "Besides, I didn't ask you to come with me."

"Yes," she frowned, "But I don't see why it is so utterly important that it can't wait until Mother and Dad get back."

"Aunt Lireal does actually need that hand in the foreseeable future," said Sam, "If we waited for them to get back to ask them, it wouldn't be done for month –"

"And this is obviously the vital finishing part for the whole thing," Ellimere interrupted.

"Yes," said Sam, thoroughly wishing that he hadn't allowed his sister to accompany him, "So shut up and it won't take long."

"Why should I shut up?" she demanded.

"Because someone will hear us," Sam replied, "And it was you who didn't want to get caught."

"I said seen, not caught," Ellimere said, "We've every right to be in here."

"If we were, why would it matter to you if we were seen?" asked Sam.

Ellimere ignored him, and started opening a few drawers, rooting through them. Sam did likewise. A few minutes later, all they had got for their efforts was a miscellaneous heap in the middle of the floor. The miniature mountain of odd books ('How to Bind Ice Elementals' and 'Advanced Counter-Spells Volume 324' was not Ellimere's idea of light reading.); court clothes and spare weaponry gazed up at the Prince and Princess, as if to say 'You shouldn't be here...'

"I hope you've remembered where all this goes," Ellimere hissed, as they looked at it apprehensively. Seeing the look on his face, she rounded on him. "You do remember where this goes, don't you?"

"M... Maybe..." stammered Sam. Ellimere wrung her hands in frustration and wrenched open the next cabinet.

"This is all your fault, Sa..." she trailed off. "What by Charter is that?" sitting on the shelf was a strange, glowing orb-like ball, which glowed ominously. Ellimere reached out slowly to close the cabinet again, but Sam pushed it open again before she could do so.

"Whoa," he said, "What is that?" Ellimere tried to close the door again.

"None of our business," she told him fiercely, "Now hurry up! Someone will miss us."

"Like who?"

"All of the people who are expecting us at dinner in 20 minutes," Ellimere said, "So come on."

"In a minute," Sam replied, "I just want a better look at this..." He reached out for the ball, but Ellimere stopped him.

"Leave it alone," she snapped, "You haven't the slightest idea what it does. It could blow up for all we know."

"How will we know if we don't look at it?" said Sam, trying to push past his sister.

"You're talking like Nick," said Ellimere, "And that's never a good thing."

"Why?" asked Sam, affronted.

"Because doing stuff like that is what nearly destroyed everything, if you don't remember," she snapped, "Now leave it alone."

Reluctantly, Sam turned away. Ellimere did too, and started examining the cupboards on the other side of the room. Sam crept back to the cabinet and eased it open. The orb was still sitting there, glowing temptingly in the dark. Gazing into it, he could see distant colours, swirling around in a coloured mist. He leaned forwards to try to see more clearly, and he began to see distant shapes, getting clearer and clearer. A wooden ship, stone walls... There was something else there too, that just escaped his line of vision. He bent even further forward, so much that the tip of his nose touched the glass. Then, everything went black.

"Sam, I found it," called Ellimere from the other side of the room, holding up a sheet of shimmering gold material. When she heard no reply, she turned around. "Sam?" she asked, "Sam, where are you?" She walked over to the door of the room and peered around it, half expecting her brother to jump out. He didn't, and Ellimere looked further down the corridor. No Sam. Had he just decided to run away and leave her, to tell someone, to try and dent _her_ perfect reputation? Stop it; she told herself, you're being paranoid. Again. But then, they had never been best of friends.

Ellimere turned away from the door and examined the rest of the chamber. The incriminating heap of stuff, the open drawers, the cabinet, open and emitting light... But she'd closed it. Sam was such an idiot. She'd told him not to touch it. Even so, she found herself drawn to the orb, where she too quizzically looked into the orb. Whatever it was, Ellimere thought, it had done... something... to Sam, so touching it probably wasn't a good idea. Should she go and tell someone? But who? Sam hadn't been lying – Sabriel and Touchstone weren't going to be back for a good month, and Aunt Lireal, good with creatures she was, magical objects, no. As well, if she did, they'd know that she had been in there too...

Ellimere frowned at the ball. It had begun to glow in all different colours, like it had done with Sam. now, the shapes were getting clearer too, and there was that one thing that she just couldn't see...

"No!" yelled Ellimere, realising that she was leaning closer and closer to the orb. She jerked away. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to tell someone after all. She made for the door. But just as she made to close it on her way out, she heard a strange noise, like harmonious singing. Without meaning to, Ellimere found herself pulled across the room, back to the orb. She fought against it, but eventually, it pulled her in.

Everything went black.

Please Review :). Constructive criticism welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just Like Their Parents...**

**Chapter 2**

Ellimere sat up slowly, her body aching all over. It took a while before she could even open her eyes, but when she did, she thought that she was dreaming. Tall wooden ships towered above her, figureheads proud in the morning sunshine, a small spring bubbled somewhere behind her. There were some bushes, and a wide expanse of grass. Sam was nowhere in sight. Ellimere cursed and climbed slowly to her feet. Her face felt funny, as if her nose was broken. She looked down at her hands and saw burns. Damned orb, she thought, as she slowly and painfully hobbled around, looking for... anyone really.

A few minutes later, she heard a purring, coming from a bush. A catnip bush. Reaching down, she grabbed hold of the purring creature and pulled it out. What appeared was a small, furry white cat, with a red collar, and a bell hanging from it. Ellimere knew it all too well.

"Mogget?" asked Ellimere, frowning, "I thought you were free."

"I was, until you and your stupid ring," growled Mogget irritably.

"What ring?" asked Ellimere, "That ring was mother's." Mogget wriggled out of her grasp and tapped her finger. As Mogget had said, there was a ring. Made of sliver, with a red stone in the middle. It was quiet pretty actually, she thought, admiring it.

"Well stop acting as if you've never seen it before," snapped Mogget, "And put me down." Ellimere dropped Mogget, still gazing at the ring. He hissed.

"So, I guess with that, you don't need my help at all in getting out if here."

"Getting out of here!" exclaimed Ellimere, "I don't know how I got here." Mogget sighed.

"Let me remind your tiny little human brain. You flew a paperwing –"

"No I didn't," she protested, "I got sucked into an orb."

"Did you bang your head, Abhorsen?" Mogget asked, sounding like the event would be the most satisfying thing in all of history.

"Abhorsen?" Ellimere repeated, "I'm not..." She looked down at her clothes. The blue surcoat of an Abhorsen, her mother's sword, bells... Ellimere yelled.

"Oh do stop that," said Mogget, "Do you know how many Abhorsen's I've had to put up with? 52. And you're the 53rd idiot I've had the misfortune of knowing. So can you please shut up?"

"I told you," Ellimere protested, "I'm not an Abhorsen; I'm the daughter of an Abhorsen!"

"Well, I guess you're that too," said Mogget, "But if you honestly expect him to still be alive, I think –"

"Him?" asked Ellimere, "My mother was the Abhorsen." Mogget shook his head.

"You really have lost your memory, haven't you, Sabriel?" Mogget laughed.

"I haven't lost my memory," snapped Ellimere, "I – did you call me Sabriel?"

"Yes," said Mogget, "That happens to be your name. An entirely new concept for you I'm sure, but..."

"I'm not Sabriel," she said, "I'm her daughter, Ellimere." Mogget laughed.

"No you're not," he exclaimed, "Sabriel is 18, as she constantly reminds me. She doesn't have a daughter. And even if she did, she wouldn't be as old as you, would she?" Ellimere stamped her foot in frustration and turned to face Mogget.

"Look," she demanded, "I am not Sabriel. I am her daughter. My father is the king, not the Abhorsen." Mogget looked up at her, and then began prowling around her feet.

"Well, Sabriel/Ellimere, for a start, there is no king."

"Yes there is!" protested Ellimere.

"So why don't you go and get me some fish, and we can try to restore you to sanity?" continued Mogget calmly, ignoring her.

Typical Mogget, thought Ellimere. That cat cared for nothing but fish. Except maybe the occasional bird or mouse. But ignoring that for a second, why was he calling her Sabriel? And why was she wearing bells? And where was her brother? Half expecting to wake up in her room at any moment, Ellimere followed Mogget back to where she had awoken, and stood awkwardly, looking at the cat.

"Well come on then," protested Mogget, "The sardines are in the second pocket. Don't tell me you've forgotten that." Not answering, Ellimere dug into the pack at her feet and tossed a handful of oily fish at him. He snatched them and greedily devoured them. Sat there, Ellimere looked around. No way out. Stuck in a pit with no one but Mogget, thought Ellimere, what did I ever do to deserve this?

"Mogget," asked Ellimere carefully, "How did I... How do you think I got here?" Mogget stretched.

"In short, your Dad is in trouble, you went to find him, we went in a paperwing, you crashed it, and we're stuck here."

"Um, thanks Mogget," said Ellimere. She was sure that she had heard that story somewhere before, in a different form. Casting her mind back to when her parents actually told her bedtime stories, she did remember Touchstone teasing Sabriel about crashing a paperwing once...

"Mogget," she asked, "Do you know someone called Touchstone?"

"Touchstone?" asked Mogget, "Why?"

"Never mind," Ellimere replied. So she, Sabriel, whoever she was now, hadn't met Touchstone yet. Unfortunately, to her, that meant absolutely nothing.

"Abhorsen," called Mogget. Ellimere turned her head, and saw Mogget standing by a figurehead, fixed to the front of a boat.

"Mogget," she yelled back, "I have better things to worry about that art appreciation."

"It's not art," snapped Mogget irritably, "It's... Come and look."

"And you said that I was insane," demanded Ellimere, marching over to the cat. She tapped the side of the figurehead with her finger. Very definitely, solid wood.

"It's not here, idiot," said Mogget, "In death."

"Does it really matter?" she asked, studying the carving carefully. And then, it looked all too familiar. The curly hair, the slightly bent nose...

"Mogget, you're a genius," said Ellimere.

"Why thank you," Mogget replied, then hesitated. "Why?"

"That's my brother," she breathed, "How do we get him out." Mogget sighed, and decided to go along with her for the time being.

"Death," he informed her. Ellimere glared at the figurehead.

"Sam, after I rescue you, I'm going to kill you."

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	3. Chapter 3

**Just Like Their Parents...**

Chapter 3

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Ellimere, picking at the sleeve of the blue surcoat.

"No," replied Mogget, "In fact, I remember telling you distinctly that it was a bad idea." Ellimere sighed.

"Thankyou," she said, "So, how do you do it again?"

"You really are hopeless, aren't you?" Mogget purred smugly, "Can you at least feel death?" She concentrated.

"No," she said eventually. Mogget put his head in his paws.

"I'm almost starting to believe your not-an-Abhorsen story," he said, "Even _Sabriel_ could get into death."

"How do you feel death then?" Ellimere asked. Mogget paused.

"I don't know," he said finally, "I always put my paw down when it came to going into death, even with someone who knew what they were doing. Besides, it's all the Abhorsen's have ever said to their apprentices before, and they did well enough. In relative terms."

This is hopeless, thought Ellimere. At the moment, what she most wanted to do was slam her fist into the wooden figurehead's face. But meticulous etiquette lessons prevented her, and she returned to concentration. At last, a cold sensation came over her, and daylight began to fade. Startled, she yelped, and all was normal again. Mogget prowled over to her, and sank his sharp claws into her boot.

"Idiot," he said, "You were almost there. Try again." Ellimere sighed and obeyed. This time, she suppressed her fear, as the chill and the dark descended. Remembering what Mogget had told her, she quickly closed her eyes.

All of a sudden, a rushing current hit her, threatening to sweep her off her feet. Her eyes flew open, and she glimpsed a dark, murky river, as far as the eye could see to her left and right. In front of her, she could see a mere few feet before the landscape became shrouded in mist. Somewhere through it though, Ellimere could just see, was a dark... thing. Maybe the First Gate, like Mogget had told her, she thought.

Another jolt threatened to topple her over, and Ellimere stumbled forwards. Immediately, the river became colder, the current more gripping. Glancing behind her, she saw a barrier of light, like a barrier of sorts. It had been protecting her to some extent, she supposed. Unfortunately, now that it wasn't, the river had taken advantage of it. Before Ellimere could even make logic of that statement, she was swept off her feet and plummeted towards the dark, which was becoming closer and closer. Throwing out her arm, she scrabbled for a handhold, a small hole, anything that she could hold onto.

The gate was close now, and Ellimere grasped one last time, and caught something. She clung to it like a limpet, and, with much difficulty, managed to pull herself to her feet. Soaked to the skin, she examined what she had found. Her lifeline was a grey statue, with curly hair and a slightly bent nose. She had found what she'd been looking for, with only... the threat of being carried to the Ninth Gate and beyond, Mogget's voice came from inside her head.

Deciding not to tell Mogget of the exact way in which she had found her target, Ellimere grabbed hold of the statue and hauled it to its feet. It was heavy, and she nearly tripped and fell into the river again. Her foot snapped through something, and as she looked, she saw a thin, black thread caught around her boot. Wondering what it was, but coming to the conclusion that it probably wasn't good, she dragged the statue back towards the light.

Surely it wasn't that far? Ellimere thought, as she plodded upstream. Every step hurt, like the river itself was trying to pull her feet off her ankles. Maybe it knew she'd never been into death before, she pondered. But then, anyone could tell that. She shuffled forwards, concentrating on the wall of light, willing it to get nearer. Eventually, she could just about touch it with an outstretched finger.

Relieved, she tried to walk through it, like Mogget had told her, but before she could, an ear-splitting shriek came from behind her. Ellimere spun around and saw a huge beast charging towards her, flames shrouding its deformed body. Instinctively, she swung the only weapon she had to hand – the statue – at it. She missed, but the beast retreated a little, before attacking again. This time, she hit it, and it recoiled, and fell into the waters of death. It tried to struggle to its feet like she had done, but its short, stumpy legs wouldn't let it, and it was swept away.

Shaking, Ellimere touched the wall of light again. It felt warm and safe. Still keeping her eye on the river, she backed slowly into it, and closed her eyes as the blinding radiance. However, she felt no sensation of moving as she had done before. She tried to focus on life, but still, nothing happened. Panicking, she thrust forward, and suddenly, calm sunlight basked her face again. She opened her eyes, and she had never been so pleased to see Mogget in her life. Then, she noticed something.

"Where's the statue?" she asked, frowning. Mogget walked over to the figurehead.

"In there somewhere," he said. Ellimere's frown deepened.

"That doesn't make any sense," she replied, "How can a statue –"

"Never mind," said Mogget quickly, "We just have to wake him up now."

"Wake him up?" she protested, "I thought that was the whole point of going into death!"

"It was," Mogget said, "You need to kiss him now." Ellimere raised her eyebrow.

"Very funny, Mogget," she said, "How do you really wake him up?"

"Exactly what I said," he told her, "But maybe a breath, or –"

Ellimere punched the figurehead in the face. No amount of etiquette training could conquer how angry she was with him at that moment. She had just raised her fist for another hit, when the figurehead started... breathe. The wooden chest started to rise and fall, the skin began to take on its true colour and the toes flexed. Then, he started to peel off the prow of the ship. Not forgiving her brother enough to catch him, Ellimere stepped out of the way and let him fall to the ground. Opening his eyes, he looked up at her, and said;

"Ow... that _hurt_." Then, he passed out.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Just Like Their Parents...**

Chapter 4 and I've only just discovered Author Notes... Thanks to the 12 people who are actually reading this fanfic, but still no reviews (hint hint.). Just remembered that I also forgot a disclaimer...

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, places etc in this fanfic, I just wish that I did.

Chapter 4

Sam woke up drowsily, rubbing his head, where a large, yellowing bruise was appearing on his left cheek. Turning over, he found himself face to face with Mogget.

"What are you doing here?" he mumbled half-heartedly, pushing himself up onto his elbows and looking around. In the distance, a young woman with black hair and a blue surcoat was prowling around the edge of... wherever they were, looking for a way out. Clearly with little success, as the woman kicked the ground furiously and whipped around to glare at him. He was sure he recognised her...

"Mogget," he asked "Who's that? It looks like my sister dressed as my mother." She must have heard him, Sam thought, as she began marching over to them, her face war-like.

"It is!" she yelled, when she reached him, "And it wouldn't be if you hadn't been such an idiot!" Sam frowned.

"Well I don't remember dragging you over to the orb, in fact, it was you who found it," he snapped back. Of all the people who had to have ended up here with him – Mogget and his sister. Sam wanted to curl up on the floor and die.

"Well I told you to stay away from it," Ellimere shouted, "But no, you didn't listen to me, you never do. You ignore me when I try to tell you anything, do the exact opposite half the time," she continued, her face going red, "You couldn't care less about what impact you have on everyone else, the kingdom that we're responsible for –"

"Is he your brother?" Mogget interrupted. Ellimere glared at the cat.

"Yes," she said angrily.

"I thought so," replied Mogget calmly, "From your mutual respect and everlasting kindness and forgiveness for each other. And Ellimere's vehement attempts to rip your head off," he added to Sam.

Silence.

"Well carry on then," said Mogget, "Don't want to interrupt the tearful reunion of brother and sister."

"Um," Sam interrupted, as his sister turned back to him, with every intention of seriously injuring him prominent on her face, "Where's the way out?" In his current situation, Sam reckoned that this particular information would be good to know.

"Just another of our little problems," Mogget informed him, "As you can see, there appears to be no way out." Sam looked around. True to Mogget's word, the walls of the sinkhole rose at least 15 feet above their heads. Straight, vertical walls with nothing to use as footholds. Just his luck.

"So unless you can find a hidden set of stairs or another way out," Ellimere glowered, grabbing the nearest available heavy object, "Then – " She stopped when Sam snatched the object out of her hands (Ellimere saw that it was a large lump of twisted metal and wood.), and stood up.

"I could do something with this," he said. Ellimere rolled her eyes sceptically.

"Like what? Make another portal to take us back home?"

"Not quite," replied Sam, ignoring her scorn, "But it might get us out of here." Ellimere opened her mouth again, but Mogget got there first.

"Really?" he said cynically, "And what did you have in mind for a useless lump like that? A chair? Maybe you could make it fly." Sam growled under his breath, and resisted the urge to strangle the infuriating Mogget.

"No," he said, maintaining his calm with difficulty, "Like wings."

"A chair with wings?" asked Mogget.

"No!" Sam yelled, "A boat with wings. We could attach them to one of these, and fly it out of the sinkhole. It probably wouldn't be that difficult, even without my proper stuff. I could weld it together with fire spells, and attach it here..." he trailed off, the way Ellimere knew he always did when he was thinking about a new project. Much as she was angry with him, it did seem like a reasonable idea. Well, a more constructive one than hers, which consisted mainly of shouting at her brother while blaming him for everything...

"Sorry to interrupt," Mogget intervened, "But I find it hard to see how one lump of metal and wood is going to build two fully functioning wings." Sam, too excited about his latest idea, just grinned at the cat.

"Not just this," he exclaimed, "Look around, there's loads of stuff. I saw some swords on one of the ships too. We could use them for – "

"How interesting," interrupted Mogget, his voice implying the exact opposite, "So how long is this going to take?" Sam shrugged.

"If you and Ellimere help," he told them, "About a week and a half? They may be big, but the mechanics involved is highly inferior to what I'm used to making..."

"Show-off," muttered Mogget under his breath. Ellimere silently agreed, but swallowed it and turned to Sam.

"So how are we supposed to be helping?" she enquired, secretly hoping that it wasn't –

"You can collect the metal and wood," he replied, "I'm going to need a lot of it. We need a lot of wingspan to get even the smallest of these ships off the ground. While you're doing it, could you look out for the smallest ship? I need to measure it."

Ellimere strongly wanted to snap 'Do it yourself!' at him, but she suppressed it and started to gather pieces. There were a surprising amount of them, actually, but none of the pieces had rotted away. The wood was still polished and shiny, and the metal hadn't rusted, even after what, by the look of the sky, had been weeks of rain. Probably a protection charm, she thought. But if it was, then why were they breaking? And why now? Something was terribly wrong.

"The kingdom really is falling to pieces, if even the funeral ships are decaying," came Mogget's voice from behind her. Ellimere stopped.

"Funeral ships?" she asked hesitantly. Mogget nodded knowingly.

"The final resting places of the kings and queens of the Old Kingdom," he said. Ellimere surreptitiously tried to replace a panel of wood that had broken partly away from the ship.

"They won't... mind, will they?" she gulped, gesturing to the armful of materials in her arms. Mogget laughed.

"Honestly, Ellimere, they're dead. Don't tell me you believe in curses, Abhorsen's daughter like you."

"Um, maybe I do," said Ellimere cautiously.

"Well, this will be interesting for you, won't it?" Mogget smirked, as he walked away, probably to search for any fish that he had not already consumed greedily. Ellimere swallowed and looked up at the ship.

"Sorry," she whispered, then ran back to Sam with the resources.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Just Like Their Parents...**

Chapter 5... I really need to start thinking of better chapter names. Anyway, here's the latest instalment, which you were all desperately waiting for (or not ;).).

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, places etc in this fanfic, I just wish that I did.

Chapter 5

"So, what do you think?"

Sam stood back proudly from his latest creation and surveyed it happily. Over the last week and a half, he, with help from Ellimere (Mogget had blankly refused.), had created this. Previously the smallest ship in Holehallow, 'Flying Ship' (as he had so originally named It.), stood at least 5 feet above the rest. Most of this extra height was gained by the large, charter-woven axels and wheels underneath it, like an Ancelstierrian plane, that glinted in the half-light and shone eerily. In Ellimere's point of view anyway.

And then there were the wings, massive mechanical monsters that rose up from the sides of the ship. Each one as big as the ship itself, they dominated the sinkhole. Twisted joints of metal and wood hinged them together, making a pattern of sorts – lines of browns, silvers and bronze that entwined into vicious looking spikes, which lined the wings. When asked by a nervous Ellimere, Sam had just shrugged and said they were for protection. _'Protection from what?'_ Her mind asked.

The number of times she wished that Mogget hadn't told her there were dead people on the ships were well into the thousands, to such an extent that it was like a constant serenade in her head; '_You will be cursed, the Charter will curse you for defacing your ancestors graves!_' The fact that they were, in fact, her ancestors was even more troubling. It might make them even angrier with her, make them stuck here forever. Wherever here was.

Ellimere knew from countless conversations with her mother that once something had passed the ninth gate, it stayed there. It couldn't get to her. But then, ever since she had been 4 years old and the guards on the south tower had teased her about the ghost of the last regent, she had been scared. Even when the guards had been dismissed and sent elsewhere, she would stay awake until the last chime of midnight had echoed away, making sure that the ghost didn't come. '_Abhorsen's daughter like you?_' Mogget's words echoed in her head. She had discreetly searched for another way out all week, hoping that then they could just walk out, leaving the graves alone. She didn't like to admit it, but she had always believed in curses. Always.

"Ellimere!" Sam yelled, disturbing her thoughts, "Get on. We're going!" Ellimere's heart lightened when she saw the childish, excited look on her younger brother's face. If he wasn't scared, why was she? This allowed her to at least force a fake smile, as she climbed aboard. Ignoring the bizarre array of levers and gears, which appeared to be placed at random intervals along the ship, she sat down on one of the benches, smoothing out her skirt as she did so. Sam saw her and laughed.

"What?" she asked, affronted.

"You never change," Sam snorted, turning back to the strange assortment of... stuff, which sat directly in front of him. He pulled a lever and muttered a spell. All of a sudden, the entire ship lurched forwards, forcing Ellimere to grab hold of the nearest stationary object to stop her being thrown to the floor. When she was tipped off the bench anyway, she realised that it was Mogget, looking rather disgruntled and cross.

"Do you mind?" he huffed, his fur standing in end, "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Don't you do that all the time?" she asked. Mogget gave her a glaring look.

"I would if you two would stop pestering me," he snapped, prowling away from her, as much as the violently rocking deck would allow. The bell on his collar rang as he passed Ellimere's ear. Half-expecting to fall asleep, and wanting an excuse to do so, she was surprised when she didn't. Dejected and slightly puzzled, she hauled herself to her feet and tottered back to the bench, hoping that Sam hadn't seen how unbalanced she was.

After 3 hours, Ellimere had concluded that journeying by flying boat was the most hellish way to travel in the entire world. Including two certain trips in a paperwing, where she, to the amusement of her parents, had vomited over the side at least three times. No, this was worse. The only reason she wasn't emptying her stomach onto unsuspecting birds this time was... The boat lurched again, tipping almost onto its side. In her mind's eye, she saw herself plummeting, screaming, all the way down to earth, perhaps being impaled by one of those spikes on the way... She shuddered. Yes, it was much better to stay where she was, clinging to a bench as if her life depended on it.

At the front, where Sam stood, easily keeping his balance, Mogget prowled up to him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the glorious maiden voyage," he said, "But where are we actually going?" Sam turned to the cat, then realised that he didn't have much of an answer. He had basically been following the wind, testing out the ship's capability, not really caring where they were. And listening to his sister's screaming everytime he turned a tight corner. He had to admit, after years of her making his life a misery, it was strangely satisfying. He grinned, only to be brought back to reality when Mogget scratched his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" he demanded.

"Oh go back to sleep Mogget," Sam ordered, frowning.

"Why?" Mogget asked curiously, "I only last slept a few hours ago. Besides," he continued, resuming his sceptical voice, "If we don't get there soon, then Gore Crows will find us."

"No they won't," said Sam, "There's hardly any of them around, and there's hardly any necromancers to control them even if there were." Mogget sighed.

"What era is this?" he demanded, before answering his own question; "The Interregnum. Do you really expect no one to notice a flying ship just sailing past right in front of their eyes? Don't you think a certain necromancer may find it just a tiny bit suspicious?" At Sam's still clueless expression, he sighed. "Kerrigor, you idiot. That Greater Dead that just so happens to be looking for you as we speak?"

"He knows we're here?" asked Sam, "But... me and Ellimere didn't even exist um... now." Even to him, the sentence sounded ridiculous.

"No," said Mogget, as if he was speaking to a two-year-old, "But he knows Sabriel's here. And who do you presume he will think it is if he sees us?" Sam suddenly found a strong urge to land somewhere. Quickly.

"We're going to... Belisaere," he blurted, "We've been heading there all along." If Mogget had had eyebrows, he would've raised them.

"That's why we're flying south then?" he purred, "And have been for the last half an hour?" Sam hastily swung the ship around, causing Ellimere to scream again.

"You distracted me," he lied, "Now go away, I need to concentrate." Mogget doubted that, but prowled away to lie by the mast. Abhorsen's, he thought, they never learn.

Please Review .


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